SCHOOL CONDITIONS CRITICIZED

Visitors described one school as "dangerous" and "deplorable" with problems of mold and mildew, exposed metal and boarded-up windows.

Another campus sparkled with newness, but students weren't learning anything.

A school board diversity committee is expected to review these findings, and many more, at a meeting today after its members toured 15 Broward County schools and compiled a draft report of what they saw. Members visited the campuses to find out if Broward students have access to an equitable education. Although there were bright spots throughout the report, the ultimate answer was: no.

"This is not about 'Gotcha!'" said the committee chairwoman, Minerva CasaM-qas-Simon. "This is about looking at issues. Our hope was, where we saw deficiencies, we can present a list of concerns to the board."

The inspections often lasted all day and focused on issues such as textbooks and computers, quality of facilities, and academic offerings. Among the comments:

Stranahan High's physical plant is falling apart, making it "an unsafe environment and not conducive to learning and student achievement;"

Dillard High in Fort Lauderdale has an amazing facility but members "saw very little evidence of academic rigor;"

McArthur and Hollywood Hills High need physical improvements but both have academic rigor;

Western High in Davie is up to par but members saw gender inequities in athletic facilities.

Already, some schools are on the defensive about the report. Superintendent Frank Till said he disagreed with some of the comments, but he said it was fair overall and would be taken seriously.

"There certainly were some holes in it, but it was a good start," he said. "We have to send people out to follow up."

Jamie Dillon, a magnet coordinator at Stranahan High, said the majority of schools in the eastern part of the county do need facility improvements, but she took issue with the idea that her school isn't a good learning environment.

Other observations noted in the report included that the media centers of some schools had outdated books or insufficient numbers of them, and that technology at middle schools was inconsistent. They also questioned why special-needs students were housed in old, remote portables.

There were positive comments: The curriculum at William Dandy Middle was amazing; students at Western High experienced hands-on learning; student behavior at Lakeside Elementary was "exemplary"; and Hollywood Hills High had a good alternative-to-suspension program.

The diversity committee, which plans to continue with school inspections, started visiting schools this year after wrangling to get access to the campuses. The group spent months arguing amongst itself on how to evaluate the schools.

Another area of contention is the committee's authority to conduct the visits. Till says they are meant to boost community involvement. Committee members see the visits as a vital part of their mission to monitor a lawsuit settlement between the school district and a parent group that sued years ago, claiming minority children were getting substandard educations.

Up until recently, the committee relied on statistics the district compiled to evaluate progress. But this year, the superintendent's report was so unorganized, it underscored the need to "go see if things were really how they appeared in writing," said chairwoman CasaM-qas-Simon.

Diversity committee member Tim Smith, a former Fort Lauderdale city commissioner, said the report was done in the spirit of honesty, not as a "witch hunt."

"When you uncover problems, you can solve them," he said. "When you bury them, they fester."

The diversity committee meets at 6:30 tonight in the downtown Fort Lauderdale school district office.

Jamie Malernee can be reached at jmalernee@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4849.